Tuesday, January 12, 2016

In terms of money, 2015 was a great year for art. In February, Paul Gauguin's When Will You Marry? became the most expensive work of art ever when it sold for nearly $300 million (€275 million). A few months later,Les Femmes d’Algers (Version “O”)
by Pablo Picasso set records as the most expensive painting ever sold
at auction, when it was bought for $179 million (€164 million).

So for now, art is winning. The most expensive soccer player in the world, Welsh winger Gareth Bale, was sold to Real Madrid for €100 million in 2013. In 2015, the most expensive player was Belgian Kevin de Bruyne, who was sold to to Manchester City for €75 million—which amounts to a quarter of the price of that Gauguin painting.

But for how much longer will Picassos out-price players? Clubs are
increasingly able to establish a total player value no Gauguin can
match—Manchester City recently established a team worth upwards of €400 million.
Thanks to a mix of corrupt bosses, lack of controls, and soccer
sugar-daddies from abroad, transfer fees seem to be increasing
exponentially in recent years. And while soccer is the world’s favorite
sport, no one player’s career value is as timeless as that of a Picasso
or a Van Gogh.

This upward drift in transfer fees can easily be visualized in a graph.
If current trends hold, then the most expensive soccer player in 2025
will cost more than €160 million.